sent in file photo of Wake, the lead-off speaker; names spelled correctly; Scot Henley is correct

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Science In The Mountains lecture series schedule

NORTH CONWAY, N.H. – All lectures start at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Mount Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center on Route 16 in North Conway, N.H.; admission is free. For more information, contact Alissa Conroy at 772-0066 or Scot Henley at 603-356-2137 ext. 218.)

July 18: “Climate Change In The Northeast – Past, Present, and Future;” Cameron Wake, research associate professor, University of New Hampshire.

July 25: “Climate Change Impacts on Gardens, Farms, and Global Food Supply;” David Wolfe, professor of plant ecology, Cornell University.

Aug. 1: “The Policies and Politics of Addressing Climate Change;” Stacy VanDeveer, associate professor of political science, UNH.

Aug. 8: “The Economic Costs and Opportunities of Dealing with Climate Change;” Ken Colburn, Symbiotic Strategies, New Hampshire.

Aug. 15: “Effects of Climate Change on Forest Ecosystems;” Louis Iverson, research landscape ecologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Aug. 22: “Arctic Climate Change: Is it Accelerating?” James McCarthy, professor of biological oceanography, Harvard University.

Observatory plans lecture series on global warming

Hoping to increase public knowledge and stimulate a greater interest in science, the Mount Washington Observatory will conduct a summer series of lectures on climate change.

The observatory, a nonprofit organization that has been recording weather atop its namesake for the past 75 years, will host the free talks by environmental experts on six consecutive Wednesdays at 7 p.m. from July 18 to Aug. 22 at its Weather Discovery Center on Route 16 in North Conway, N.H.

“By directly connecting the community with climate change experts, ‘Science In The Mountains’ exposes the factual information behind this imperative global issue, on a local level,” Scot Henley, executive director of Mount Washington Observatory, stated Monday in a news release.

Series speakers will discuss climate change issues by analyzing industries and systems to show how paths are interconnected, he said.

“From the Northeast’s climate to the inherent political and economic repercussions local communities face, this free lecture series offers access to the environmental experts and, a phenomenal overview of the global picture,” Henley said.

Cameron Wake, research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, kicks off the series by focusing on the past, present and future of the Northeast’s connection to climate change, specifically, in northern New England.

According to a UNH personnel Web site, Wake studies regional climate and environmental change through the analysis of ice cores and instrumental records. He is leading research programs to reconstruct climate change from ice cores recovered from glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Canadian Arctic.

He is also involved in the university’s AIRMAP project, which seeks to improve understanding of New England’s changing climate and air quality. Wake also leads the related INHALE project, which is investigating the links between air quality and human health in New England.

Henley said the observatory contacted Wake, who, then made five phone calls and lined up the other speakers:

• David Wolfe, professor of plant ecology, Cornell University;

• Stacy VanDeveer, associate professor of political science, UNH;

• Ken Colburn, Symbiotic Strategies, New Hampshire;

• Louis Iverson, research landscape ecologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

• James McCarthy, professor of biological oceanography, Harvard University.

“Cameron is so involved with the study of New England’s climate. He is really an asset to New Hampshire and New England, because he’s the leading edge on the study of climate. Plus, he connects with people and boils scientific issues down to understandable terms,” Henley said by phone Tuesday afternoon in North Conway.

The lectures will reveal how climate change may impact the food supply; the area where environmental science and citizen decision-making must meet; the economic impact of climate change, focusing around New Hampshire; the effect of climate change on the region’s forests and economy; and “The big picture” of global climate change while considering changes in the Arctic.